Masquerade
by solitaryloner
Summary: Balls are perfect for finding love - but it's hard to find love if you can't see your partner's face. Piko isn't looking for love, but when his past returns to haunt him, he recognises her despite the masquerade she wears. His friends try to bring the two estranged lovers together, but is that possible at a masquerade ball? PikoMiku, LenGumi, GumoRin. For Forever Lazy. Three-shot.


_**Solitaryloner: **__This is a long overdue request meant for Forever Lazy. I think I'm really bad at clearing my requests? Anyway, she asked for PikoXMiku, which will be the main pairing in all three one-shots, GumoXRin and LenXGumi. I'll probably turn this into a three shot then, one for each pairing, but all revolving around the same night. The theme for this story is masquerade balls, hence the title. The countries mentioned here don't happen to be real, and are names I made up. Enjoy._

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Piko Utatane had never been fond of balls.

Sure, he attended balls, and he did that all the time. He had no choice – he was the son of the wealthy Utatane family, the family responsible for coming up with all sorts of diverse products designed specially to make lives easier. The Utatane Conglomerate was a common brand seen in products of all sorts – from televisions to washing machines to even clothing. In other words, Piko Utatane belonged to an extremely rich family, and he, as the eldest son of that family, was expected to show up at events like these.

But it didn't mean that he liked them.

He was tired of being restricted and confined to a life of luxury and comfort. Sure, there were perks to being wealthy – never having to worry about money was one of them – but the constant surveillance, always having to conform to a certain set of expectations, and other things in general…he couldn't handle much more of this. He was tired of always being watched, not only by his family and the other elite scions of society, but also the media and practically the entire world. They all had expectations of how he had to behave and carry himself. Why couldn't he just be an ordinary teenager?

Maybe teenager was too much a stretch.

He hadn't been a teenager in three years. According to the laws of his country, minors were aged below eighteen. He was already twenty-one – and, despite being a legal adult now, he still had to obey the demands of his family. Then again, what other choice did he have? He was still in their family, still taking their money, still living off them – and when his father retired, he would be expected to take over the helm of the Utatane Conglomerate. But he knew that wouldn't happen for some years – his father was still rather young, and it would be a while before he willingly stepped down and gave his son the company and the business. Until then, he was nothing more than Young Master Piko.

He adjusted the mask that was resting uncomfortably on his face.

The ball tonight was a masquerade ball. This was a charity ball, hosted by his family, and he was expected to be here tonight because this ball was meant for the wealthy...and, of course, his family desired to use this as a chance to find him a suitable bride. He let out a quiet laugh full of scorn – being someone born into a wealthy family, with a class that was almost that of royalty, he didn't even have the chance to choose who he wanted to be with. His life was planned out for him, and he wasn't allowed to protest – because, since his family was so prestigious, he couldn't possibly tarnish that reputation.

Could he?

No, he couldn't, because when he was in university, he had dated a girl whom came from a poor background – she and her family had nothing, and the only reason she could make it to university was because she had won a scholarship to pay for most of her school fees. The rest, she worked to supplement. When his family found out about that, they had forced him to break up with her – he knew that they feared she was nothing but a gold-digger, and he tried to persuade them otherwise, but they would hear no more of the girl. So he complied with their wishes, and forced himself to let go.

He wondered what he was supposed to do here.

What was the point of a masquerade ball? He genuinely had no idea – he couldn't see the faces of anyone, since like him, they were all wearing masks. Then again, to his family, that probably meant little – so long as the girl had prestige and wealth, then they would approve of their union. Well, his parents probably wouldn't accept just someone plain to be their daughter-in-law either…he sighed. Honestly, he didn't care anymore. He doubted he would ever actually find someone he could love, amongst the upper class. Most of the socialite girls he had met before were all the same – the just wanted to shop, they were rich and pampered, and treated their attendants like they were nothing. Given a choice, Piko wouldn't want to marry someone who was anything like that.

He did know two girls from elite families who were nothing like that…

But the thing was, they weren't girls he would consider. They were good friends, and had all met during their university days. Gumi Nakajima and Rin Kagamine – who, incidentally, both had twin brothers who were also attending the ball – were his closest friends, especially since they both shared the same views as he did. That it was ridiculous to be confined to a certain way of thinking and expectations simply due to their social status. Yet, they all had no choice but to admit that social status was something extremely important in their world, and if they didn't act the way as was expected of them and their families, they would tarnish the family reputation.

But unlike him, they were lucky.

Gumi and Rin were dating each other's twin brothers, so they didn't have the issue he did – the issue of finding a girlfriend whom his parents deemed worthy of his upbringing. He would have liked to fight for that girl he met at university – he knew her in his first year, before he was introduced to Gumi and Rin – and after he broke up with her, she disappeared from the campus. He never knew what happened to her or where she went – he called and called, but she never picked up. He went to her apartment, which she had been renting, and the landlord said she had packed up and left. Piko had never been able to find out where she went – it was like she completely vanished.

He had never met another girl who left as deep an impression as she did.

The first thing he had ever noticed about her was her hair – it was teal, a striking colour which had caught his attention from the very moment he first saw her. It was dyed, she had admitted that, but he admired her all the more for being daring enough to stand out so much from the rest. She carried no airs – she was so down-to-earth, so realistic, yet she had dreams about her future – she hoped to be a famous fashion designer in the future. She had been studying fashion design in their university, which was inclined more towards arts and the liberal arts than the sciences.

She was poor, but she never let anyone use that to bring her down.

There was nothing wrong with being poor, and she further drove that thought deep into him. She was her, no matter how rich or poor she was. He loved her for who she was, not her money, and she did likewise. He had to wonder where she was now, and what she was doing. Though it had been years since his parents forced him to leave her, he still wondered how she was doing. He never even had a chance to explain to her why. His parents had forced him to completely cut off contact with her – at first, she tried to contact him, but he was never allowed to reply. His calls and movements were all being monitored by his family. And after a while, she stopped trying to reach him too.

And then she left him.

It was all for her own good. It would have hurt less than if he had told her why, if she knew about the whole situation. It was better to have a clean break, so she could move on quickly. Their love was impossible, anyway. He would rather she thought of him as a rich, spoilt jerk, than to always long for what they might have had. Her name had been Saki Fujita, and…he let out a sigh. He didn't know what happened to her. His parents had removed anything he had that was linked to her – the only thing he had managed to keep was a small photograph in his wallet, and he treasured it more than anything else.

He wanted to leave this ball and return to the home that wasn't a home.

"Oh, Piko…" a familiar, breathy voice called out to him. Instantly, he whipped around, facing the speaker – underneath the elaborate mask, he could still recognise the woman, mainly because of her voice – he heard her voice on gossip shows and interviews all the time. It was Gakuko Kamui, one of the famous socialites in their town, who frequently involved herself in scandals and such. He put on a strained smile – he wasn't exactly in the mood to put up with her advances tonight. She had been targeting him for quite a while already, as he was perfectly aware, and he had never agreed to her proposals.

"Yes, Gakuko?" he said, simply out of politeness. She smiled.

He frowned at her, though it wasn't a very perceptible change in expression. "Would you like to dance?" she gestured out at the dance floor. When he seemed to hesitate, he saw her lips press into a frown, tendrils of her deep purple hair escaping her chignon to curl over her pale neck. "Oh, and we should talk about that deal our parents are cutting, should we not?" she asked sweetly. "Papa says it's a big deal…if Utatane Corps were to secure this agreement, our shared venture could have a profit turnover of six billion dollars annually, at least. Or that's what Papa said," she finished, her frown becoming a smile, "unless the deal happens to fall through. Since it hasn't been signed…"

He knew she was threatening him, and succumbed to the warning.

She laughed as she adjusted his hand, placing it firmly on her waist – with the other hand she pulled him onto the dance floor. Piko did not like balls, but he was good at ballroom dancing, and he did not need to rely on her lead as they twirled around to the music. His mind was blank – from the corner of his eye, he saw his friends Gumi and Rin, staring at him sympathetically. They knew how he felt about Gakuko, and probably knew that she had coerced him into dancing with her. He felt so trapped by her.

The dance took an eternity to pass.

He bowed to her and left before she could drag him into another one. He made his way over to his friends, who both had not moved from their position throughout the duration of the entire song. "It wasn't as bad as it seemed," he said to placate them, before they could even open their mouths. Gumi frowned and patted his shoulder to comfort him, while Rin, who was the more hostile of the two, shot the socialite a dark glare. Piko smiled slightly at that, but shook his head, telling her to tone down.

Gumi and Gumo Nakajima were the children of a political family.

Most of their relatives had political ties and connections. Their father was the President of this country, their mother the daughter of the Prime Minister of Ixteria. Their elder sister, Sonika, was one of the Ministers of Cabinet for this country as well. It was widely expected that Gumi and Gumo would eventually get themselves entangled in the dangerous world of politics. Piko thought that they would make good politicians, to tell the truth – Gumi was quick-witted and good at debating, while Gumo was charismatic and capable of looking at a single situation from different points of view.

Rin and Len Kagamine were born into a family of entrepreneurs.

They were similar to Piko's family, in that they ran businesses and such. However, Piko's family took over a wide range of businesses – on the other hand, the Kagamine family specialised in only one. The Kagamine name was widely known in the world of fashion, and the Kagamine label was considered one of the must-haves for the season. Given that Piko knew little about fashion, the fact that he was even aware of this trend showed just how much influence their family had in the world of clothes and beauty.

"Oh, I brought my best designer to the ball tonight. Hope you don't mind."

Rin seemed to recall this at the very last moment, and she spoke to Piko, her lips curving up into a small smile – she knew that Piko would never mind. He simply nodded and let out a sigh, turning to glance at the large clock at the far end of the wall – it was already past eleven, and he was tired. His father had walked past him several times, always asking if there were any girls here who had caught his fancy. He always told him no. "I brought her along because she is really very talented – I hoped that by letting her come with me to the ball, she would be able to craft better designs for the upper end clients."

"I don't mind. Is she around?" Piko asked, rather disinterested.

He didn't think he could handle much more socialising, not when he had to put on a face that was anything but his usual self – but it would be rude not to greet this girl, especially when he and his family were the hosts of this charity ball. Charity…it was all just to gain more positive media coverage, everyone present knew that, but no one would ever say that out explicitly. For were all rich families here not the same?

"Oh, yes. She's right here. Miku!" Rin called for the girl.

He saw someone in a long, intricate lace dress coming over to them, and as he watched her approach, his eyes widened – he saw the teal hair, curled up into a bun, but he couldn't be sure, not when she had a black mask covering her face…a black mask with a rose at the side that matched her lace dress to perfection. It was a lovely dress, even he who was not absorbed in fashion could appreciate that – there was a simple beauty and elegance to the stark bodice and undecorated skirts that reminded him of Saki.

"Yes, Rin?" the girl reached them, glancing first at Rin, then at the others.

And she noticed him, and he noticed her, and they both stilled. Piko had never been a very difficult man to recognise – not with his distinct silver white hair, and his eyes. It was always his eyes, and even with this mask on, his eyes were visible to all – one green, one blue. The girl, Miku, took a step back from him, seeming to tremble slightly. "Is that…is that you, Piko?" her voice was shaking, and rather hoarse, like she couldn't believe that he was standing here. "You're not really Piko, are you? Piko Utatane…"

He just stared at her. Slowly, he reached up, taking his mask off.

She gasped, her hand reaching up to cover her mouth. "Piko…" she stared at him, looking like she had just seen a ghost. When he tried to reach out to her, she seemed to come back to her senses – she tried to turn and run away. But then he was quicker than her, especially since she was in heels, and he managed to catch her wrist before she finally got away from him. Rin and Gumi simply watched on, looking interested.

"Saki," his voice was low and urgent. Her trembling subsided at the sound of her name.

She turned back to look at him. He was holding on to his mask, his face still bared to her. He knew there was a frown on his face. "What do you want?" she said flatly, and despite the mask covering her face, she looked as though she wanted to be anywhere but here. She gave off the sense of a trapped animal, looking for some way, any possible way, to get out of here. "I'm afraid I don't know any Saki, Mr Utatane. My name is Miku Hatsune, not this Saki, and you have gotten the wrong person…" she sounded so cold.

"If you're not Saki, then would you mind letting me see your face?"

It was a simple question, but she froze at the request. He could feel her stiffen at the question, and she tugged against his grip. He refused to relinquish her wrist. "Why should I?" her voice shook. He knew she was Saki. He could still remember the sound of her voice, and the colour of her hair, the exact shade of teal…he could see her emerald eyes through the eyeholes of the mask. She still dyed her hair, he was sure – nothing about her had changed, except that now she called herself Miku instead of Saki. _Why?_

"Just to let me check something. Please," he added, when he saw her hesitate.

She glanced in the direction of Rin. Rin just arched an eyebrow and nodded, and the girl looked back around at him – with trembling fingers, she reached up, taking the mask off her face. Piko's eyes widened – she hadn't changed at all, with her bright green eyes and her long eyelashes and her high cheekbones and her small, luscious lips. She still looked the same – she was the Saki Fujita he had known and loved. "It's really you," he breathed, staring at her. "It's you, Saki! I thought…I thought you disappeared," without even thinking it through, he reached out, drawing her closer to him, into a tight hug.

He felt her stiffen in his arms, and then she quickly pulled away from him.

"I don't…who are you?" she said hastily, smoothing her skirts down. She was still pretending that she did not know him, though he knew that she knew him – he saw the glint of recognition in her eyes every time she turned to look at him. Rin and Gumi were exchanging glances by now, clearly speculating about what was going on. "Mr Utatane, there is no way you could know anyone like me. After all, you are the rich son and heir to Utatane Corps, and I am nothing more than a simple fashion designer. There's no way you could know anyone like me," her voice was flat and almost cold.

"I didn't want to leave you," he told her, his voice calm as well.

She stared at him, her eyes wide. "I didn't have a choice," he said, his voice dropping to a whisper, his words hushed and hurried. "My parents, they disapproved…if I hadn't left you, they would have made your life a living hell, Saki. Trust me," he held on to her hand urgently, and she didn't pull away this time – he was using this chance to explain himself to her, and hoping that she would listen to him and his explanation. "I wanted…I wanted you to hate me and move on, to someone who would be able to love you freely, the way you deserve to be loved, but now that you're in front of me once again…"

Miku didn't know how to respond to him. This man looked so earnest, so serious and almost…pleading. She had resolved to do her best to forget about him, and to move on with her life, and she thought she had successfully done such a thing – but then, she saw him again now, and she felt all the carefully erected walls she had built around her heart crumbling into pieces. Throughout all the time she had left the university, and found her dream job in the Kagamine fashion label, she had always loved Piko Utatane.

They met while they were both heading to Literature class.

They were both studying Literature in university, and they sat next to each other. She was not very up-to-date with current news and socialites, and she was unaware that the silver haired man next to her was actually one of the richest people in the world. They got to know each other, and she was impressed by his ideals and how he viewed the world – he was remarkably realistic, and that made it all the more impressive when she finally found out who Piko Utatane really was. That he could be so grounded and realistic despite being born into such a wealthy family…she was impressed, indeed.

And then they fell in love.

It was a matter of time, she guessed. They were always together, but there was always a certain tension between them – they would dart occasional glances at each other, and long, measured stares to gauge each other, to study each other…but then after that, after a few blissful months, he started ignoring her, and she had no idea why. He wouldn't answer her messages or pick up her calls. In Literature, he moved to sit with someone else, and basically acted as if he had no idea who she was. She realised then, that he must have decided that she was too poor for him – that she wasn't good enough for him, since after all, she was nothing. Her family could barely afford to house and clothe themselves, and she too was barely surviving in university, while he was flourishing.

So she disappeared too.

She dropped out from the university, because she didn't want to continue facing the man she loved every day, not when he didn't seem to know her any more. She spent her time juggling various odd jobs, all while sending in all her job applications and portfolios to various fashion design companies. They all turned her down, and she got used to the feeling of disappointment – after all, she had not managed to graduate with a degree in fashion design – until one day, she got a letter from Kagamine Industries.

And from that day on, she was part of their design staff.

Rin Kagamine was impressed by her bold, though simplistic designs, and took a special liking to her. After a year, Saki changed her name to Miku Hatsune, then rose through the ranks to become Rin's personal assistant. Miku nowadays always accompanied her boss to different events, so much that she no longer bothered to ask about the event, and knew nothing other than what sort of dress she was expected to turn up in. Little did she know that tonight, she would be attending a ball hosted by the man she once loved. The man she still loved, in fact – not that she wanted to admit that she still loved him. Why should she…when he didn't return those feelings? She was so stupid.

"Saki?" Piko spoke her old name again, meeting her gaze carefully.

She jumped – she wasn't used to being called Saki. Everyone knew her as Miku now, and hearing her old name was jarring. No one here knew who was Saki Fujita anymore – no one other than Piko, because Miku herself didn't recall any Saki. That was a life she had long left behind. This was a new beginning, or at least she had hoped it would be that way. Now that the ghosts of her past were coming back to haunt her, mainly in the manifestation of Piko Utatane…how was she supposed to respond?

Was she supposed to admit her feelings for him, or just continue this masquerade?

Would she continue pretending that she didn't recognise him at all? She let out a choked laugh – it was a funny concept, to see people masquerading as other people at a masquerade ball, in both the literal and figurative sense. "I'm not Saki Fujita anymore, Piko," she rasped. "I'm Miku Hatsune now, personal assistant to Rin Kagamine. And I'm sorry, but I have to get back home now," she turned to Rin, who was watching the whole thing unfold with a look of avid interest in her eyes. "I'm sorry, may I leave now?"

Rin nodded, watching Piko. And Miku turned and left.

Her wrist fell through the now slackened grip of Piko, who gazed after her, a forlorn look on his face. He knew better than to chase her – she would not speak to him now, even if he caught up to her. "Well, Piko, what's going on here?" Rin approached him now, her hands on her hips, staring up at him. Her blonde hair, which was sprayed and tousled, wafted the sweet scent of some perfume into his nose. He twitched. "Is there something going on between you and my personal assistant I should know about?"

He glanced off at her retreating back.

"No, there's nothing," he finally said, his voice low. "She's not Saki anymore, anyway. She said so herself. She's Miku now, and I don't know anyone named Miku Hatsune," he said with finality – if she didn't want to acknowledge him or speak to him, then he would not do the same to her. He wouldn't want to force his company upon her, since she did not desire for it…he let out a sigh. "Enjoy the night, Rin and Gumi. I'll be going to speak with my parents," he gestured to the far end of the room, putting his white mask back on.

Gumi and Rin exchanged a sly glance.

"We need to get to the bottom of this, don't we?" Gumi asked Rin, who nodded, searching around for her date for the night – Gumo, Gumi's twin brother. And Len, Rin's twin, was probably off with Gumo as well… "Let's find the two idiots and get them in on this. If Piko showed interest in your personal assistant, they've had some kind of history, and damn if we don't get them back together by tonight." Rin seemed to echo those sentiments – she knew that Miku must feel something for Piko, for otherwise the girl would not react that way. She was too nice to brush people off the way she did him.

Once the two girls had started on something, it would be impossible to make them stop.

* * *

_**Solitaryloner: **__Yeah, like I said, there's still two more parts to this. I don't know how it's going to progress, but I'm just saying this now in case some people say that the Piko and Miku arc seems underdeveloped or anything like that – this is not the end._


End file.
